Libyan Regime Forces Feel Effects of Coalition Attacks

WASHINGTON, March 28, 2011 – Moammar Gadhafi’s
forces are feeling the effects of the coalition attacking
command and control centers and logistics hubs, as evidenced
by the progress the Libyan opposition has made, the director
of the Joint Staff said during a Pentagon briefing
today.

Coalition aircraft – now including Air Force A-10
Warthogs and AC-130s – have attacked regime forces
threatening civilians. They also have hit command and
control centers, ammunition supply points, missile sites and
radars.

On March 25, regime forces were outside Ajdabiyah
and the city was contested, Navy Vice Adm. William E.
Gortney said. Today, opposition forces have control of
Ajdabiyah and have pushed west to within 80 miles of Surt --
a strategic port on the Mediterranean.

Coalition officials
believe Gadhafi’s troops are digging in and placing tanks
and armored vehicles in and around the city, he said.
Farther west, regime forces are digging in around Zintan,
and fighting continues in Misrata.

Most of the targets hit
in the last 24 hours were targets of opportunity, Gortney
said. The coalition hit forces still attacking civilians and
also the command and control nodes of the 32nd Brigade -- a
loyal regime strike force allegedly commanded by one of
Gadhafi’s sons and still attacking civilians.

The
coalition flew 178 sorties over the past 24 hours with the
majority being strike-related. The number of sorties
continues to grow, “but the labor share [between U.S. and
partner nations] is definitely evening out,” Gortney
said.

Pilots from Belgium and Qatar have been flying
missions, and 12 fighters from the United Arab Emirates will
be joining the fight shortly, the admiral said. “U.S.
military participation in this operation is … changing to
one of support,” he said.

The USS Providence, a
submarine that participated in the Tomahawk strikes against
Libya, has finished its mission and will continue its
patrol.

While the United States is still flying strike
missions, “we are providing 80 percent of all air
refueling, almost 75 percent of aerial surveillance hours
and 100 percent of electronic warfare missions,” Gortney
said.

NATO will assume command of the mission in the next
few days. “The specifics are still being worked out,” he
said. “The maritime embargo [transfer of command] was
fairly easy and straight forward. They started taking on the
no-fly mission … on Saturday morning, and we’ll see them
taking the total mission, including the civilian protection
mission, in the coming days.”

U.S. Africa Command chief
Army Gen. Carter F. Ham is commanding now and will shift the
command to Canadian Forces Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard. None
of the commanders involved are anticipating any problems
with that, Gortney noted.

“One of the benefits of
transitioning to NATO is we’ve been working with NATO for
many years, and we understand the command structure,” he
said. “We exercise together, we operate in Afghanistan
together, and that’s why we have tremendous confidence
that we’re not going to drop the ball.”

Gortney said
they haven’t received a single confirmed report of
civilian casualties caused by the coalition. “We will
continue to be just as precise as we can in keeping up the
pressure on regime forces while protecting innocent
civilians,” he
said.

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